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Little Rock 9
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine Black students who enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Their attendance at the school was a test of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Education was one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement, and helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not, in fact, equal at all. -
Murder of Emmett Till
On August 28, 1955, while visiting family in Money, Mississippi, 14 year old Emmett Till, an African American from Chicago, he allegedly whistled at white woman so Her husband Roy Bryant and his brother J.W Milan tortured Emmett and murdered him. -
Rosa Parks and the bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest where African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to ride the city buses to protest segregated seating. It lasted from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and was the first big protest in the U.S. against segregation. The boycott started after Rosa Parks, an African American woman, was arrested and fined for not giving up her seat to a white man, just four days before the boycott began. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was a group that played a big role in the Civil Rights Movement. It was made up of leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and it started in 1957. The group worked mostly in the southern United States, pushing for equal rights and fighting against segregation. They held protests, marches, and other actions to demand change, using peaceful methods to make their point. -
Greensboro sit ins
The Greensboro sit-in was a civil rights protest that began in 1960 when young African American students sat at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave after being denied service. The protest quickly spread to college towns across the South. Even though many of the protesters were arrested for things like trespassing or disturbing the peace, pushing Woolworth’s and other places to change their segregation policies. -
Ruby bridges
Ruby Bridges was the first African American girl to go to an all-white elementary school in the South. In 1960, when she was just six years old, she started going to William Frantz Elementary in New Orleans, Louisiana. Even though there were protests and people hated her being there, Ruby stayed strong and brave. She helped open the door for other African American kids to go to schools with white kids. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were groups of white and African American civil rights activists who took bus trips through the South in 1961 to protest segregated bus stations. They tried to use restrooms and lunch counters meant for white people at bus stations in places like Alabama, South Carolina, and other Southern states. Along the way, they faced arrests by police and violent attacks from white protesters, but their actions brought a lot of attention to the civil rights movement. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington took place in 1963 and was a huge event for the Civil Rights Movement. About 250,000 people showed up, including African Americans and white people, all coming together to demand equal rights. Some of the main people involved were Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, along with other leaders like John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, and Mahalia Jackson. It was one of the biggest protests for civil rights in U.S. history. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a law that banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. President Lyndon B. Johnson played a big role by pushing for the law to be passed. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., who led protests and marches, and other civil rights activists helped bring attention to the issue. Many members of Congress also worked on getting the law passed, even though it wasn't easy because some people didn't want it. -
Assassination of Malcom X
Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, while he was giving a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Three men from the Nation of Islam shot him. Before his death, Malcolm had split from the Nation of Islam, and there was tension between him and some of its members. He was shot in front of a crowd, and his death shocked many people, leaving a major impact on the Civil Rights Movement. -
Selma to Montgomery (Bloody Sunday)
The Selma to Montgomery march happened in 1965 to fight for voting rights for African Americans. The march started in Selma, Alabama, and ended in Montgomery. A lot of people took part, including Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and other civil rights leaders. The marchers faced a lot of violence from the police, but it helped lead to the passing of the Voting Rights Act. It was a key moment in the fight for equal rights. -
Voting Right Act (1965)
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a law that made it easier for African Americans to vote, especially in the South. It was passed after a lot of protests and marches, like the ones in Selma, Alabama. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders played a big role in pushing for the law. The act banned unfair voting practices, like literacy tests and made sure the government would watch over voting in places with a history of discrimination. It was a big step in the fight for equal rights. -
Assassaination of Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. James Earl Ray was arrested for the murder and later pleaded guilty to the crime. King's death shocked the nation and led to protests and riots in many cities. He had been in Memphis to support a strike by sanitation workers, and his assassination was a huge loss to the Civil Rights Movement.